Page 46 of Wolf Unleashed
“Yes. But why do they want you?”
“They’ve heard of my exemplary work on the border,” Maddox mused. Drake was screwing with him, like always. The alpha either already had the answer or suspected. His cousin had a keen ability to understand the enemy and stay five steps ahead. It was a talent that made him an excellent alpha, strategically speaking. It was Drake’s lack of empathy for those around him, even his own pack, that made him a shitty alpha. Sometimes, the only way to deal with Drake was to throw shit right back at him.
“Funny. Didn’t know you have it in you.” Drake signaled the other guards to take the human to interrogation. “I’ll get my answers soon enough. Clean up this mess you made,” he ordered Maddox as he motioned to the dead humans.
Maddox grabbed the first body and started pulling him toward the lake where he’d build a pyre.
“Oh, and cousin?” Drake called behind him. “Don’t even think of leaving the pack without permission. If I’m forced to track you down, it will be your lovely mate who will suffer.”
Chapter Twelve
ALYSSA
Naked and with her hands tied behind her as she knelt on the ground, Alyssa couldn’t control her fear or stop shivering. Smirking, Kingsley stood over her with his hand on his erect cock, his intent clear. The male had cornered her on more than one occasion back at the DSA training compound, and that was before he learned who her father was. He had wanted to kill her, to punish her father for unleashing the shifter virus. Each time he’d threatened Alyssa, her shifters had always been there to intercede. Now, she had no one to protect her, not even her Glock.
“Kingsley,” the shifter behind Alyssa whispered. “Car approaching.”
“He’s early. Cover her while I talk to him.”
The shifter shoved a sweatshirt over her head and pulled it down to cover her naked torso with her hands still tied behind her. She appreciated being covered, but she would have preferred being untied. Her hands were growing numb and her knees stiff from the position and the cold, not to mention enduring the pain of twigs and pebbles cutting into her flesh.
“Untie me so I can put my arms through the sleeves, at least.”
“You’re only covered up in case it’s him.”
“Who?”
“The guy who’s buying you. He has a particular affinity for young female half-breeds.”
“That’s an ugly term. Nearly as ugly as you,” she said, hoping to anger him enough that he’d untie her before beating her.
Poor strategy on her part. The shifter punched her in the side. As her head struck the ground, a vehicle pulled up. A heavy bare foot pressed down on her neck, keeping her pinned to the ground. From her angle, she could see the black SUV was government issue.
Three of the doors opened in unison and black combat boots struck the ground. These men held no fear of the shifters, not with how they brandished their AK47s.
“You’re early. I have business with her before you get her,” Kingsley said.
“You now have enough money to buy as many women as you want. Get out of here, you filthy animal.”
“Maybe I should just snap her neck,” Kingsley said with a growl as he yanked her to her feet and wrapped his fingers around her neck.
Several guns clicked. “The money’s been transferred to your account,” the sandy-brown mercenary said. “Leave while you can.”
“She’s mine until the appointed time.” He began dragging her toward the woods until she collapsed her legs. The simple maneuver threw him off balance, causing him to stumble. She kicked out with her legs, propelling him backward into a tree. She wasn’t going anywhere with Kingsley or the mercenaries if she could help it. But one problem at a time.
The last of the car doors opened. Dark, brushed-leather lace-up shoes, the type a rich businessman would wear, snapped a twig as a large man stepped out of the car. His fine wool camel-colored coat appeared out of place in the wild.
Kingsley jerked her to her feet again and threw her over his shoulder before she could see the man’s face. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked.
“Kill the animals,” the thick voice said.
Alyssa’s stomach turned even as she heard the gunfire. Her body slammed against the forest floor as Kingsley went down. His body landed next to hers. Dark unmoving eyes stared at her as blood oozed from the bullet hole between his eyes.
The other gunshots barely registered until silence blanketed the forest. The mercenaries had killed all the shifters without giving them a chance to fight back.
Two of the men in black fatigues reached down and pulled Alyssa to her feet. The man in the expensive blue suit with the gold, silk tie and perfectly ironed white shirt approached her. His eyes never strayed from her face.
“That’s the problem with shifters,” he said. “They’re driven by the animal in them. Their human side gets repressed too easily. But not with you. You’re my success story. Aren’t you?”
